Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Aya and her family.
Chapter dedicated to Eric, my best boy choir buddy.
"They're coming!" Heihachi cried. Everyone in the boat looked back. Indeed, a motorboat was coming after the small group and who else was at the bow but Ukyo himself.
"Don't let them escape!" they heard Ukyo shout. "I want both of my flowers unharmed!"
Aya felt a sharp bolt of pain pierce her heart, something that made her recoil and clutch at her heart, trembling.
"Aya! Aya, are you okay?" Heihachi asked, concerned for the young naginata girl. Suddenly, her trembling stopped, and she fell against the mechanic, panting. Her eyes were closed, and she was in a cold sweat. Heihachi held her limp form in his arms and glared back at Ukyo's boat.
"Aya! Sister!" Kai and Akio cried, kneeling beside her. Akio looked at the fast-approaching motorboat, his sister, then back at the motorboat, pure hatred in his eyes.
"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SISTER!" he cried, a bright red glow radiating from his Fire Crystal and his right hand. "GO TO HELL!" With that, Akio put his palms together. When he drew them apart, a long line of flames spread across the width of the canal, with no visible fuel to keep the fire burning.
Ukyo saw a young boy dressed in black clap his hands together. Just as the future merchant raised his eye brows, an enormous line of fire spread across the canal.
"Stop the boat!" Tessai cried. The other men in the boat hurried to comply; they didn't want to be burnt to a crisp by a weird kid's realistic magic.
"No! I want my Kirara and that other beautiful blossom!" Ukyo pouted, taking a loaded crossbow from one of his attendants.
"Young Master, no!" Tessai tried to keep the stubborn blue-haired boy from shooting the crossbow, but it was too late. The steel harpoon-like lance was already whistling through the air towards the samurai group. Tessai jerked the crossbow out of Ukyo's hands and set to giving him a smart lecture about why he should not have done that. For their part, the other attendants quietly turned the boat around, heading back home.
Kai heard a shout, a trigger pulled, and then something swishing through the air. For some instinctive reason, he leaped up beside his brother.
"Kai! What do you think you're doing?" Kirara and Gorobei cried at the same time. The young Wind boy didn't hear them. He cupped his hands around his mouth, took a deep breath, and blew. A small gale was formed because of his actions, but it deflected the crossbow lance that Kai had heard. The samurai stared wide-eyed at the brothers, then quickly glanced up at the roof of the underground cavern they just entered. The samurai warily watched the Shikimoribito hanging like bats from the ceiling. The Guardians just stared back, watching the little group with something that could have been akin to interest if their faces could be seen.
"Metal City should be just around the corner," Shichiroji muttered to Kambei quietly.
"Mmmm…" Kambei replied, watching Kai and Akio as they knelt back down beside their sister, who was still unconscious in Heihachi's arms. Just as Metal City came into view, Katsushiro was staring in marvel at the two brothers who had just saved their lives. But as a sudden thought occurred to him, the light in his blue eyes faded, and his face donned a look of defeat.
"They acted so quickly, without a second thought… And they're younger than me! Why can't I be like that? Be like… a samurai?" he thought. Kirara glanced at the youngest samurai; her face was full of worry, but she said and thought nothing. She turned her gaze toward Akio, briefly admiring his stoic behavior, and at the same time, his love and compassion for his beloveds. Komachi, for her part, gawked, wide-eyed, at Kai. She crawled away from her sister, sat next to Kai and threw her arms around him.
"Thank you for saving us! I was so scared!" she said, clutching onto him like there was no tomorrow. For a few minutes, Kai's attention was diverted away from Aya as he comforted the water priestess' younger sister. Suddenly, the boat jerked to one side, nearly pitching everyone into the water. Heihachi grasped onto the side of the boat, trying to keep his hold on Aya as he watched a blue-and-red-clad form wade through the water towards land.
"Rice… Look at all the rice…!" Rikichi said in disbelief, already on land.
A/N: So. I hoped you enjoyed this latest installment of Crossing Dimensions. I apologize for the long waits between recent chapters. I have serious writer's block but since I am on Winter Vacation, I shall try my hardest to come up with more chapters faster. Thanks for reading!
NLBS